Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López-Obrador (sometimes abbreviated to AMLO), has reached the end of his six-year term. During that time he spent a great deal of money and effort on developing transport infrastructure. A project he pushed with particular dedication was the infamous Tren Maya development which now spans the Yucatán Peninsula.
In June 2024, Mexico elected a new president. Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first-ever female president, belongs to the same party as her predecessor. Earlier this month, Sheinbaum confirmed her intentions to continue rail-transport developments initiated by López-Obrador.
What is the Tren Maya?
Under construction since 2020, the Tren Maya is a railway route traversing the Yucatán Peninsula in southern Mexico. Its main purpose, according to the government, is to bring an increase in tourism to Mexico’s economically struggling south-eastern states, which previous governments have neglected. However, the project is highly controversial, generating resistance from environmentalists, indigenous peoples, and some local communities.
Despite hitting numerous roadblocks in the form of construction challenges, lawsuits and community opposition, the Tren Maya has continued gradually moving towards completion, vastly exceeding its budget. Journalists and opposition groups have speculated that AMLO’s dogged determination to finish the project at any cost indicates a more personal motivation; a desperation to leave behind a legacy.
An interest in transport infrastructure is certainly evident, looking back at the Mexican president’s six-year term. AMLO also built a new airport in Mexico City, and began renewing the abandoned Interoceanic Railway. This railway would connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by spanning Mexico’s narrowest point.
Ok, but what does all this have to do with the environment?
Throughout its construction, and even before, the Tren Maya has raised numerous environmental concerns. The three main impacts are summarised below:
- Deforestation: Construction has subjected the route of the railway to mass deforestation. Forests have been destroyed not only to lay the tracks but also for stations and stops, access roads, storage areas, and more. Over 6,000 hectares of forest had already been lost by late 2023. On top of that, businesses will be looking to capitalise on the new train route. Construction of hotels and resorts to cater to train-going tourists, for example, would bring about another wave of forest destruction.
- Habitat fragmentation: The construction of a train track creates a barrier in the landscape. This splits up habitats and populations of wildlife. The effects of habitat barriers are far-reaching and have consequences for the whole ecosystem.
- Damage below ground: The Yucatan peninsula is situated on top of some unique and fascinating geology. A vast network of underground caves and rivers punctuates the terrain, providing a source of drinking water for millions of people and a habitat for a surprising diversity of life. The Tren Maya’s Line 5 crosses the state of Quintana Roo, following a route dotted with cenotes (deep underground pools) and underground rivers. In February this year, a federal court suspended the construction of Line 5 until the government made adjustments to prevent further damage to caves and cenotes. The developers drafted a new plan involving a 67-kilometre section of elevated track. It is unclear how this modification is an improvement, since it has involved the drilling of thousands of metal support pillars into the earth. These columns have irreparably damaged many caves, with at least one also causing a spill of concrete into the aquifer.
The Interoceanic Railway is a previously unused section of train track. It forms part of the Interoceanic Corridor, a proposed trade and transit route crossing the narrowest point of Mexico. Though shorter and less publicised than the Tren Maya, the Interoceanic Railway has also stirred up ecological fears. This railway will mainly carry cargo, attempting to rival the Panama canal. The El Sur Resiste movement has voiced concerns that this project, together with the Tren Maya, will encourage extractive industries such as mining to take advantage of the new transportation systems.
Can it be justified?
The government has pushed forward the project with the promise of a big economic boost to all along its route. However opinions among locals are divided, with some feeling they stand to lose far more than they might gain.
Towns along the peninsula’s Caribbean coast already experience higher numbers of tourists than certain local infrastructure is designed for. Overloaded sewage systems are a particular problem because much of Quintana Roo’s wastewater likely ends up contaminating the groundwater, through dumping and improvised drainage systems. The Yucatan’s aquifers ultimately connect to the ocean. This means any pollution of aquifers will also reach the ocean, and the Mesoamerican coral reef.
The indigenous peoples of the Yucatan peninsula have deep cultural and spiritual ties to their land and particularly to the cenotes, which are linked to beliefs about the afterlife. The network of rivers and aquifers that lies beneath Quintana Roo is also the only source of drinking water for the region. Thirdly, damage to cenotes could erase pieces of Mayan cultural heritage, since important archaeological discoveries have been made several times in their depths.
The Mexican government claims to have provided sufficient opportunities for indigenous communities to attend consultations about the Tren Maya project. However, numerous reports indicate these consultations were inaccessible due to language barriers, lack or absence of publicity, or fabrication of the events.
Is all of this legal?
At least 25 lawsuits have been filed in response to the Tren Maya’s construction. These have three key themes:
- Environmental disregard: There have been multiple occasions when construction went ahead before proper environmental impact evaluation had been completed. Before the project was underway, AMLO was even quoted declaring that “no trees would be cut down” for the sake of his new railway, a promise that was immediately broken.
- Lack of prior consultation: A referendum to gauge public support for the train was met with staggeringly low voter turnout. Low turnout could be due to the lack of access many communities had to information about the project.
- Forced relocations: To make way for the train track, many residents have been displaced from their homes. A local lawyer in Campeche indicated that the construction company FONATUR used intimidation tactics to make locals feel like they didn’t have a choice about relocating.
As these injunctions piled up, the López-Obrador government became concerned about failing to complete the Tren Maya, and other megaprojects, before his term ended. In retaliation, the president declared the Tren Maya and the Interoceanic Corridor to be matters of national security. This allowed developers to dodge lawsuits because ‘national security’ takes priority over ecological and social complaints in Mexican law.
So what happens next?
AMLO remains determined to finish the Tren Maya before the end of his term on October 1st. How Sheinbaum will handle the remaining projects such as the Interoceanic Corridor remains to be seen. One thing is clear however; marred by so much habitat destruction, repression of Indigenous peoples, and damage to the geological foundations of this historic and vibrant part of Mexico, it feels very wrong to call the train Mayan.
Be curious!
- Watch Mongabay’s 10-minute documentary about the Tren Maya and its ecological and social impacts.
- Investigate transport developments in your area and analyse their environmental pros and cons.
- Donate to or share this fundraiser by SOS Cenotes to help fund future legal action to protect cenotes.
- Read about another controversial transport development in this article by Sara DeGiorgio.
Featured image via Mexican Government website.
